Honeybees make decisions collectively--and democratically. Every
year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and
traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process
that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and
consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist
Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach
us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision
making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific
discovery, "Honeybee Democracy" brings together, for the first
time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing
story of house hunting and democratic debate among the
honeybees.
In the late spring and early summer, as a bee colony becomes
overcrowded, a third of the hive stays behind and rears a new
queen, while a swarm of thousands departs with the old queen to
produce a daughter colony. Seeley describes how these bees evaluate
potential nest sites, advertise their discoveries to one another,
engage in open deliberation, choose a final site, and navigate
together--as a swirling cloud of bees--to their new home. Seeley
investigates how evolution has honed the decision-making methods of
honeybees over millions of years, and he considers similarities
between the ways that bee swarms and primate brains process
information. He concludes that what works well for bees can also
work well for people: any decision-making group should consist of
individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a leader's
influence should be minimized, debate should be relied upon,
diverse solutions should be sought, and the majority should be
counted on for a dependable resolution.
An impressive exploration of animal behavior, "Honeybee
Democracy" shows that decision-making groups, whether honeybee or
human, can be smarter than even the smartest individuals in
them.
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